Solder flux life extender



Patented Dec. 15, 1953 QFFICE aseas o sonne s. FLUX 1111712 v EXTENDEBL- Wi ia S l n n n nifieoz e Wfitlitf wenes e Hills; Ma ass g'n r 0' Ne Drawing. Application February 19, 1953, 4

I a1 337m,

Whereethis. invention-is concerned with a solcler flux aglapted' to be. used infmolten condition on a solder bath ,and'isf.. I$Deci l1 y a rtfld'fqr the soldering bat s d l a ca ibbdy akers; Dvar tieularly wherij'sol'ders of low tincontent are used.

Whilethis improyeq solder flux isnot restrictegl in us mme's's merel toisucn body makersjmut is qllally useful in any ,oper'ationinvolving a solder bath, itflwas 'clevelob' with the particular problem of the ebodyi'malg ngroperation in mind and Will, ither' iqre," be dsiii bed connection w h thislop'eiati S n ta an ed ss are s m made y bend hgsbapk th igwQ f bf Osiii margins "1 f 1P}??- t'orr'necl" sheet metal. blanks, ,upigvardly on one egige, downwardlyfon the ether," to form the socaned hey ihjojegj .thei body Qznaker; the hpbksj are, interlocked, and /-fia,ttene,d ebyfbump in'gl Molten $D1deris therivllowed into the interlocked seamv by scrapingth'e seamwover a roll ,yvhich ro,-' tates in aeba'theffmqlten solder. In orderithat theYsolqer remain" fluid until the 'i nioz'ne'nt "at which capillarity'. has l d iawn enough solder into the seam 'meq aiag p' is"necessary that the solder in the bath he; maintained at a .tenipera ture. Iconsiklerablii iiifexbss of its melting .point.

Over the, years, can mak r hayeosed a jti'n-v lead solder, having Ia 'tin content .of from "381110 50% .by weight .a'zijd lirom eXpflli enge havef ound that. zinc-gmmoniumflchloride fluxes werethe most satisfaetoryl'fqr gus'e' inprdteeting the'molten Soldier in the v solder bath and .m cl aning "the surface bf the r0115, In. recent ,years,,the shortage. of t inthas forced can ,maker'sto use tin-lead soldersfivlth' greatly reduced almou ntjs of tin. Present regulations limit the maximumqaniountof tinfin such a solder to 5%; *lidcl yeger and 2 -93 solders 1.37.01 2% tin; 97 or 9&%lead)s are widely used. It now appe that even inthe b n e of r ula i low tineontent solders :yvill continue to he used, at least n; the can' rnaking industry, since it has been fcundthatsuch a, sclder permits pody'm akers'to be opemea at higher speeds,- andfurth'er that such a, soldr 'is' les's liableto crystallize in the side -sea m lap ofth'e can upon prolonged storage;

However, theme of a=:1ow tin content vsolder greatly increasesstheaconsumption .Of-ifillX. .-The reason fora-this ;:.is.-that ;Whi1e50-:5-0. solder has a meltin p t labqutlzlf LC. 1420." 3-.97 solder,-- for example, hasua zgmelting polntlof about 320 2 (6. 3 i fol bt monerpp ration ,or the ;mal1 such a solder; .it-l therefore, necessary to maintain-the solder bath at a temperaturefoff "3704 00 0. (Too-7.50 13!). At this "temperature; the. ammonium chloride porf tlfOn 0t thecomplex sobnmes rapidly. Since the amnioniuni chloride is the more active fluxing ingredient, this loss of ammonium chloride greatly reduces the active lifeof the fi ux'. 'With thejloss offammonium chloride, the fl xins .efl nc al s d: u a e y h th p opbi't ammo ium i c m toq 19w, hj nus m t e d ard d th solcler no longerjwillwet or follow theroll. In additionfthe constant liberation of ammonium chloride is very annoying to any personnel wor lnsi fthe'vie i y o h b y maker} wehave discov ies that'if the flux is, absorbed, by'a bodyfof' inert, low density,'granular particles, the ammonium chloride leaves the n ixturefireluetantlyI TAs'a result, significantly more ammonium chloride will be found in the fiiixa er a iren t me. a d he flux'wnru d r de iea iqond tions ha e al neer life n dois th saz' e fl'u'x'wit d i heabso be "'We apply this, iiscor' jery to a flux for a roll solder bath bymaking a 'mixtureof zine ch10 rideand ammonium chloride (or zinc ammonium chloride) and adding low density granules of an inert siliceo-us"inateria1 as the absorber. We haye found expanded "silleeous material such asex foliateq vermiculite, popped silicates as typil'i'egl by expanded 'perliteymn', acidic olcanic glass); an ci',sinter ed, 'spheruliz ed. clay particles to b suitab eifor use as th ow dens t r i le- Oth i er i i hly p r us. si ou 1 1 a e ia PI examnla e p nd' dbl'ast furn e la a expanssd hal abnear t b u e hbut may c mam ,slofinuehirohithat their use "i not n: vised. It will he recognized that these materials a he eqmmqjn 91? W i h a re ates ised f n plasterand nias' my. Thefpoppd. aggregates 'are' made by"pa ing sl'nall granules of pat urjally ,o c c urrin g si1iceous ir'ocks kusually perlifi) thr qughsali initense yjhotmmac zone where the d anatheapparent de si y .Of

etai fis fl sru theiirockfialls. to bout. a lbs-per c b foots phermizedif clayfls alie by spheruliz'lng a clay v. r 11 j j .';expanl.hsiaee T e spherule' are then assed into a f furnace, w e the"sur'face Qf'jthe spherule is sinter'led by the heat and p low. my sphere is formed yth eener a i sea" d easwith n' h 'spher s n" a I henili'zj d" gay is supplied by "the Kaniuz'n fCorpora'tion 'under, the "trade-mark As flie ch ides inrthetflux'melt, the wet the absorber and a floating mass forms above the surface of the solder which has the curious combined property of cohesiveness and mobility. When the chlorides are completely melted, the mass cannot be described as a paste: it is far too mobile. It is not a liquid, for when the proportions are those which give the longest life, some liquid is visible, but most of the chloride is held in the pores and on the surface of the siliceous absorbent. The mass is cohesive in the sense that the rotating roll does not break or scatter it. It lies against the roll surface wicking fiux to the solder film, smoking mildly for several hours before it finally becomes spent and breaks away from the roll. Then it must be discarded, since it will no longer keep the roll tinned.

Although we have conducted numerous experiments seeking confirmation of various hypotheses which would explain the marked increase in flux life, we do not have a satisfactory explanation. Detectable increase in the life of the flux takes place upon the addition of seemingly negligible weight per cents of the siliceous ingredient, but the great difference in apparent density between the melted fiux and the expanded siliceous absorber should be kept in mind. For example, the additive calculated density of a typical melted flux is approximately 2.18 gm./cc., and the bulk density of expanded perlite is approximately 0.12 gm./cc. Thus, 3 per cent by weight of expanded perlite represents, 37% of the mixture by volume after the flux has melted. A commercially valuable increase in flux life is secured when the amount of the expanded material to the initial weight of the zinc and ammonium chlorides reaches 1.5%. The upper limit is variable depending upon the absorber, but it is a bit more than the amount which absorbs the entire mass of flux. Noticeable quantities of flux should be left on the surface of the granules, but it is not necessary that flux occupy the intervening spaces between the granules. Generally speaking, this upper limit, expressed as a volume ratio, will be found to lie between 2 and 3 volumes of siliceous material to each volume occupied by the flux in its molten condition.

We have also found that it is advantageous to include a very small proportion of resin, preferably in the range of 0.1 to 1 part by weight of the flux. Resin is not necessary, but if used it increases the life of the flux. An essential property of the resin is that it melts before it begins to decompose upon being heated to fluxing temperature so that it forms a scum on the surface of the fiux before it hardens and carbonizes. The scum at the temperature of the solder bath is partly liquid, but is largely wet, carbonized, extremely small resin particles. We believe that the scum makes the flux mass more impermeable to air and that possibly it imposes an additional restraint on the escape of ammonium chloride vapor. For reasons of effectiveness, availability and low cost, we prefer the gasoline-insoluble resin obtained from the extraction of pine wood in aromatic solvents; the hard, dark-colored, partially gasoline-soluble fraction obtained as a byproduct in the manufacture of F. F. wood rosin; and the so-called modified resoles of the phenol-formaldehyde condensation type.

The zinc chloride and ammonium chloride may be combined in varying proportions according to the known art. If the mixture is very high in ammonium chloride, it will not melt until the percentage of ammonium chloride to total zinc chloride plus ammonium chloride falls below about 44%. Nevertheless, the unmelted mixture of chlorides and absorber will keep the roll tinned if the mixture is stirred, say, at 10 minute intervalsuntil the proportion of ammonium chloride fallswhich melt reasonably promptly. The flux mix-- ture may also include minor proportions of other materials known to modify the properties of the flux. For example, the alkali metal chloridesmay be added for melt temperature adjustment. Additionally, zinc oxide or zinc carbonate may be added to prevent caking and the release of acid: fumes as disclosed in Carey U. S. Patent 2,327,958..

Zinc chloride, ammonium chloride, ZnCl2-2NH4Cl. and ZnClz-3NH4Cl may be used. We have, as the result of many tests, determined that our invention increases the life of all such fluxes of the zinc chloride and ammonium chloride type.

We prefer when preparing the improved flux to mix the dry ingredients in a dry mixer until a uniform distribution of the ingredients is secured. When very small quantities of resin are used, it is helpful, but not necessary, first to mix the resin with a small roportion of another ingredient, then add this mixture to the main batch. A flux made in this manner may be used on the solder bath as received except when vermiculite is a component of the flux. Since vermiculite tends to separate in shipment, a package of such a flux mixture should be mixed, as by tumbling, before the flux is used. However, while we prefer to prepare the fiux mixture in this manner, the absorber may be added to the flux at any time with equally satisfactory results.

In order to make a comparative determination of the increase in fluxing efficiency due to the addition of an inert, low-density siliceous material as an absorber and also due to the further addition of a suitable resin to typical high temperature fluxes, a series of tests were made on an experimental roll solder bath. This experimental solder bath was designed to be the same as the solder baths actually used in body making machines except that it has a roll of shorter length. It comprises a gas-heated iron tank 10 inches long, 6 inches wide and 4 inches deep, in which a solder roll a inches in diameter and 6 inches in length is mounted across the tank at a point equidistant between the ends and 2 inches from the bottom. The roll has a cylindrical working surface 4 inches long terminating in a inch radius at each end. The bath is filled with sufiicient 3-97 solder to raise the solder level to the center line of the roll (approximately 35 pounds). In each test, the temperature of the solder in the bath was thermostatically maintained at a temperature of 75012 F., and the roll rotated at a speed of R. P. M. Three hundred grams of the flux were placed on the surface of the solder on the side of the bath where the roll 1'e; enters. The area covered by flux measures 3 by 6 inches. In each case the life of the fiux was determined by measuring the time until noticeable areas on the cylindrical surface of the roll failed to be wetted by the solder. The test results were reproduceable to plus or minus fifteen minutes and correlated almost exactly with flux lives determined under similar conditions on operating body makers.

With this apparatus and this procedure, the following test series was run to determine the effect of increasing additions of a typical siliceous Meats-o *m'aterial .and also of a. typical resinitoalypical ap ea obeot imperia st, i t sesam th bul n ityo amass of .the bse b a dsthe o o ity and s p oi, he in ivi ual pa tic e While e ef rt i seab rb rs Mme-minim m ulk d ns y. ce y so doi n mu -cheeess s. ined. with aminlm m adde w i t of bso b any i a ticulat ab orbe which i ner -and bu y it inimelte 11 i; wQ appear to be usefi 1l.-. v

Porosity .andshape of.,.the lndividual particle is of importance since-an; essential attribute .of the flux composition" is that it be mobile once the flux component of the composition has liquefied. Normally, the composition will be mobile so long as noticeable quantities of flux still appear high temperature flux.

Test A Parts by weight ZnC122NH4C1 91 ZnO 6 Flux life: 106 minutes.

Test B Parts by weight ZnC12-2NI-I4Cl 91 ZnO 6 Expanded Perlite 1 Flux life: 181 minutes.

Test 0'.

Parts by weight ZnClz-ZNI-hCl 91 ZnO '6 Expanded'Perlite 3 Flux life: 235 minutes.

Test D Parts by weight ZIlC12-2NH4C1 91 ZnO 6 Expanded Perlite 6.2 Flux life: 350 minutes.

Test E Parts by weight ZnCl2-2NH4Cl 91 ZnO 6 Expanded Perlite 9.6 Flux life: 570 minutes.

Test F Parts by weight ZHCIZ'ZNHlC]. ZnO 6 Expanded Perlite 3 Phenol-formaldehyde resin 0.12 Flux life: 300 minutes.

Test G j Parts by weight ZnCl2-2NH4Cl 1' ZnO '6 Expanded Perlite 3 Phenol-formaldehyde resin 0.5 Flux life: 345 minutes.

' Test H Parts by weight ZnC12-2NH4C1 91 ZnO 6 Expanded Perlite 3 Phenol-formaldehyde resin 1 Flux life: 435 minutes.

In order to ascertain the effect of the addition of low weight siliceous mat'erial in the conservation of the ammonium chloride content of the flux, small quantities of flux "were withdrawn from the flux composition of Test A and Test'E at periodic intervals. The per cent ammonium chloride remaining in each sample was determined to be as follows:

on the surface of the individual absorber particles, although it is not necessary that the space between the particles be occupied by flux. However, if the absorber particles have a surface configuration such that an appreciable binding between particles results, the maximum quantity of absorber which wilhresult in an operable composition is thereby; .reducedL- Since a nonporous particle will potentially displace it own volume of molten flux, a greater quantity may be added to the compositionithan in the case ofga particle which may absorb some flux within its body. The effect of these characteristics maybe seen when the three prerejrred absorbers disclosed herein are compared .Exfoliated vermiculite has a bulk density 0150110 to 0.13 gram per cubic centimeter. In addition, the vermiculitepartilcles have a platelike structure which ishighly p ous and whichres'ults in a slight deereeo'f binding between-particles. For these reasons, the maximum quantityof vermiculite which may be added to a flux and still give a workable fiux compositionis:only.about.12%. l

Expanded perlite' has acomparable -low density 010.12 to 0.19 gram percublc centimeter. The; individual particles .:have almost, as much absorbency as vermiculitepbu't being. quitespherie cal in configuration, theyare subject to a much lower degree of binding. :Theupp'erlimitofperlite additioniis,therefore,.about.:16 011 17%.

Spherulized. .clay; .(Kanamite) particles, on the other hand,;arei; almost-perfect sphere 'with a bulk density of 0.4 to 0.6 gram percubic centimeter. Since these particles are individually nonporous and are subjectto no binding whatsoever, the mum; qua-nt tyef these particles which may be added-toe flux is so high that it has never been determined. In one experiment, ore than 60% by" eight of these particles were added to a molte with no adverse eifects except that the'fiux composition overflowed the solder bath because of the added bulk. Even after thi high addition of absorber, the composition remained mobile. There is, however, a much lower practical limit for the addition of spherulized clay. As can be seen from the following table of examples, the maximum effectiveness is reached at less than a 20% addition. In addition, if more than about 30% is added initially to an otherwise quickly melting flux, the

7 melting rate of that flux is reduced to an unworkable degree.

It is to be noted that the maximum efliciency is obtained when the addition of absorber to the 8 4. A solder flux of the zinc-ammonium chloride type especially adapted for use on a roll solder bath, said flux containing a flux life extender consisting of a mass of individual particles of fusible ingredients of the flux composition is an inert, low-density, heat expanded siliceous somewhat lower than the maximum addition as material in the proportion of at least 1 /2% by outlined above. Since an absorber in which the weight of the fusible flux ingredients and not in individual particles are not porous is as useful excess of that amount at which a film of flux as one in which the particles are somewhat poremains visible on the surface of the individual rous, it is obvious that the effectiveness of the 10 particles of the mass.

absorber in increasing the life of the flux is due 5. The flux described in claim 4 in which the primarily to the absorbency of the entire mass flux life extender consists of a mass of individual f particles- The Particle e a e of the abparticles of an inert,'low-density, heat expanded sorber particles does not appear to be critical siliceous material selected from the class consistprovided the maximum average particle size does ing of expanded perlite, exfoliated vermiculite not exceed about 10 mesh. and spherulized clay.

Various embodiments of the present invention 6. The flux described in claim 5 in which the are presented by way of example by the followflux life extender consists of a mass of individual ing table. In each case, the flux life wa deterparticles of expanded perlite not in excess of 16% mined at a solder bath temperature of 750 F. 20 by weight of the fusible flux ingredients.

Examples Parts by weight Flux Absorber Resin Partially Gasoline s z j l i l e Flux Efin- 5g3 insoluble fraction life,

7 01 Z G1 Exi d Spherrefsole ob t zfi x i ed oggailirylviid minutes M dab alimcl ie-t2 is? has; at?

dehyde of pine manutype wood n facture aromatics of F. F

wood

We claim:

1. A solder flux of the zinc-ammonium chloride type especially adapted for use on a roll solder bath, said flux containing a flux life extender consisting of a mass of individual particles of an inert, low-density, heat expanded siliceous material in the proportion of at least 1 /2 by weight of the fusible flux ingredients.

2. The flux described in claim 1 containing between 0.1 and 1.0 part by weight of a resin which melts before it decomposes upon being heated to fiuxing temperature.

3. The ilux described in claim 2 in which the resin is selected from the class consisting of the gasoline-insoluble resin obtained from the extraction of pine wood in aromatic solvents; the hard, dark-colored, partially gasoline-insoluble resin obtained as a by-product in the manufacture of F. F. wood rosin and the modified phenolformaldehyde condensation resoles.

7. The flux described in claim 5 in which the flux life extender consists of a mass of individual particles of exfoliated vermiculite not in excess of 12% by weight of the fusible flux ingredients.

8. The flux described in claim 5 in which the flux life extender consists of a mass of individual particles of spherulized clay.

WILLIAM C. SHILLING.

GEORGE W. WRIGHT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,719,512 Ki'embs July 2, 1929 1,776,852 Finkbone Sept. 30, 1930 2,311,669 Kepfer Feb. 23 1943 

